City Clerk S Office

Deltona commissioners wisely have returned to the procedure they used when they hired the community's first city manager two years ago.Some commissioners had suggested bypassing residents this time, but instead commissioners agreed at a meeting June 13 to appoint a seven-member application-screening committee.That's what the city did two years ago. More than 50 residents came forward, offering to help the new city screen the applications and pick out the best candidates for commissioners to interview.

UMATILLA -- The qualifying period for three council seats and the position of mayor begins today at noon and runs until noon Friday. All offices have two-year terms. Candidates must be at least 18, registered to vote in Umatilla, and city residents for at least one year prior to Nov. 6, Election Day. They also must comply with federal and state election rules, including disclosure and conflict-of-interest regulations. Anyone looking to qualify may visit the City Clerk's Office, 1 S. Central Ave. The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Friday.

I would like to offer a challenge to the residents in my geographic area - Tuscawilla - who may think that wearing the cloak of a commissioner in Winter Springs is a piece of cake.As many may know by now, I have decided not to seek re-election. By the end of my term, I will have contributed, to the best of my ability, almost 10 years of service in one form or the other in Winter Springs.The door is now wide open for anyone to serve, so step up to the plate and let's see how you can apply your knowledge, wisdom and decision-making for an entire city.

WINTER GARDEN -- Winter Garden officials today will have a public workshop on proposed changes to the city's charter. The workshop will take place during a regularly scheduled City Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Tanner Hall, 29 W. Garden Ave. A charter review committee has been studying the city's charter for more than a year. The perusal was prompted in part by a March 2006 vote-counting controversy caused by the city's practice -- as stated in its charter -- of letting all commissioners tally votes, including those running for re-election.

Producers of a new television series to air this fall on WOFL-Fox 35 plan to tape portions of the show this week in downtown Sanford.Dave Farr, executive director of the Greater Sanford Chamber of Commerce, said the producers will shoot a portion of the series Fortune Hunter at the Cultural Arts building at Oak Avenue and Fifth Street.The producers toured the city's historical district last week in search of two additional settings for the television series. They will be filming in Sanford through Thursday, Farr said.

Police consolidation may be headed for the ballot now that city Commissioner Paul Lovestrand has submitted a stack of voter petitions to City Hall.Lovestrand, an advocate of combining the police department with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, gave the city clerk's office 564 signatures asking for a consolidation referendum.City officials said this week they needed 461 signatures to put the matter on the ballot.Lovestrand said the matter could be presented to the voters in a special election during the next few months or at the general election in November.

TAX VOTE. By an overwhelming margin, voters decided Saturday to lower their tax bills by rolling back a city property tax increase. The measure to cut the increase from 12.1 percent to 8 percent was passed by a vote of 76,167-42,673 in unofficial results, the San Antonio City Clerk's office said. The measure was hotly debated in the weeks preceding the election. A rollback will cost the city $3.9 million in revenue. Mayor Lila Cockrell and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce had opposed the rollback.

City Hall will be closed to the public on Wednesdays indefinitely.The City Council agreed last week to allow the city clerk's office to close for a full day to allow staff time to catch up on bookkeeping, building documents and other paperwork.City Hall will remain open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with office workers remaining until 5 p.m. to finish paperwork.Mayor Richard Brinkman said the city has paid overtime recently because of the backlog of work.

Two city council members facing a recall drive intend to challenge the claims of organizers behind two 800-signature petitions. Petitions filed Friday with the city clerk's office accuse Noah ''Sonny'' Butt Jr. and Lang Houston of ignoring voters, catering to developers and not properly identifying property they own in the city. Butt, who was elected to a three-year term in 1987, and Houston, first elected in 1984, said they are hiring attorneys upon the advice of City Manager Charles McCool and City Attorney Richard Amari.

Qualifying soon will begin for city elections in Umatilla.Three council seats, numbers 1, 2, and 3, and the mayor's post will be up for election to two-year terms.The qualifying period begins Aug. 16 and closes Sept. 14. Officials in the city clerk's office said candidates must be:- Registered voters of the city.- At least 18 years old.- Residents of Umatilla for at least six months before Sept. 15, 1989.There is no qualifying fee.During the qualifying period, candidates may get their names on the ballot by going to the city clerk's office at 1 South Central Avenue in Umatilla.

DeLand -- City officials are calling for help from residents willing to serve long hours for no pay on advisory boards. Several volunteer positions are available on a variety of panels, committees and task forces that make recommendations on city policy and services. To be considered you must be a resident of DeLand and age 18 or older. Applications are available in the City Clerk's office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call 386-740-5700.

DELTONA -- Residents hoping to replace Diane Obremski as the city's District 5 commissioner have just one more week to file a request to join the seven-person board. Four people -- Larry K. French, Janet Deyette, Rafael Valle and Charles DeZaruba -- have submitted written notices, according to the city clerk's office. The deadline is Friday. Obremski announced in November she was giving up her seat and will officially leave office Jan. 1. The board's six remaining members are expected to appoint a replacement to finish the last year of Obremski's term in January.

A political newcomer who still owes a civil fine to the City of Orlando for not following rules during a bid for a commission seat seven months ago is vying to become Orange County's election boss. Mike Hart, 30, a fitness adviser and part-time bartender, is trying to unseat Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles, 50, who has been in office for eight years. Cowles said he believes voters should back him because he has experience running the complex office. "It all comes down to the voters.

DELTONA -- Officials say Deltona's first City Hall will do more than provide space for Central Florida's second-largest city. It will, they say, provide a landmark for Deltona -- a city largely defined by winding roads and a low-rise suburban landscape. "It will be a signature building that will set the tone for the rest of the city," Mayor John Masiarczyk said. "We've even contracted for signs to our gateways that will match the sign at City Hall for uniformity and a consistent image."

ORANGE CITY -- If the job market for professional city managers were the senior prom, Orange City would be that nerdy guy nobody wants to dance with. Well, maybe somebody does, but no one has had the courage to ask, yet. With less than a week left before the deadline, the city had not received a single application late Friday for the job left open when the council fired former City Manager John McCue in May. Roy Schleicher, who is heading the search for the city, is not worried. The application process is a "big head game" for job-seekers, he said.

It has been said that the minutes may drag, but the years fly. That certainly is true of my almost half-century in the Orlando City Clerk's Office. Such length of time might seem dull to some but not when your office is the heartbeat of the "City Beautiful." Among the many blessings I received during that period was the opportunity of working for such truly outstanding mayors as J. Rolfe Davis, Robert S. Carr, Carl T. Langford and Bill Frederick, as well as City Clerks Ed McDowell and Bill Stewart.

The city is looking for residents to become members of its new parks and recreation committee.Interested residents are asked to contact the city clerk's office at city hall, 205 E. Graves Ave., or call the clerk at (904) 775-3333.More information may be obtained by calling Sharon Ellis, acting chairperson, at (904) 775-6310, after 7 p.m.

WINTER GARDEN -- Winter Garden officials today will have a public workshop on proposed changes to the city's charter. The workshop will take place during a regularly scheduled City Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Tanner Hall, 29 W. Garden Ave. A charter review committee has been studying the city's charter for more than a year. The perusal was prompted in part by a March 2006 vote-counting controversy caused by the city's practice -- as stated in its charter -- of letting all commissioners tally votes, including those running for re-election.

Deltona commissioners wisely have returned to the procedure they used when they hired the community's first city manager two years ago.Some commissioners had suggested bypassing residents this time, but instead commissioners agreed at a meeting June 13 to appoint a seven-member application-screening committee.That's what the city did two years ago. More than 50 residents came forward, offering to help the new city screen the applications and pick out the best candidates for commissioners to interview.

Qualifying for the Maitland City Council election Feb. 24 opens Monday at noon and will close at noon Jan. 9.Two candidates already have filed for Seats 1 and 3.Lawyer Tom Holley is seeking election to Seat 1, and Rick Baldocchi is the only contender for Seat 3 so far.Vice Mayor Ray Link, Seat 1, and council member Jim Panico cannot run again because of the charter's term limitations.This will be Holley's first bid for an elected position and Baldocchi's second.Baldocchi, 37, was in a five-way race for Seat 2 in 1996.